Three Brock teams going for gold at nationals
Three weekends. Three national championships. Three opportunities for athletic glory.
In case the Brock Badgers’ recent national championships by the men’s and women’s wrestling teams weren’t enough, in the next 23 days the Badgers have three more shots at winning national titles.
Last month, the Brock men’s and women’s curling teams both advanced to the USPORTS National Championships being held March 24-28 in Leduc, Alta.
Then last weekend, the men’s hockey team and men’s basketball team punched tickets to their respective national finals.
Saturday night, the hockey team won the third and deciding game of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West Final against the York Lions, and will host the OUA Queen’s Cup championship game against McGill 7:15 p.m. Saturday at Seymour-Hannah Sports and Entertainment Centre in St. Catharines.
Regardless of the outcome, the Badgers have already secured a berth in the national finals in Fredericton, N.B., March 15-18. It’s an impressive accomplishment for the team led by head coach Marty Williamson, who is in his first year behind the bench after being with the Niagara IceDogs.
Brock has never won an OUA men’s hockey title, and this marks just the program’s second appearance at nationals and first since 2008.
Last Sunday, the men’s basketball team earned a wild-card entry to the USPORTS National Championships taking place Thursday to Sunday in Halifax. Like the hockey team, the last time Brock went to the Canadian championships was in the 2007-08 season, when the underdog seventh-seed Badgers won their second-ever national title.
Brock again goes into the USPORTS Final 8 with the No. 7 seed and will open the tournament 1 p.m. in the quarter-final against the No. 2 seed Calgary Dinos.
Semifinals are scheduled for Saturday with the consolation final, bronze-medal game and championship game set for Sunday.
Living up to its claim as having the Best Fans in Canada, Brock is sending a fan bus to Halifax for students, staff and alumni. The Badgers-wrapped highway bus typically used by the school’s varsity teams will leave Brock Wednesday morning and arrive in time for Thursday’s game.
For those who can’t make the road trip, a free viewing party for the quarter-final game will be held in Brock’s Market Hall 1 p.m. Thursday.
Information on viewing parties for other men’s basketball and hockey national championship games will be posted as they become available. Streaming of the OUA Queen’s Cup hockey championship game is available Saturday night at OUA.TV National championship streams will be available through the USPORTS website.